Traits nouveau

Despite the near-universal condemnations among some contemporary scholars, an altered form of trait theory reemerged in the late 20th century when Shelley Kirkpatrick and Edwin Locke (1991) asserted, “Research… has made it clear that successful leaders are not like other people” (p. 40). The researchers proposed that “certain core traits” (p. 49) contribute to leadership success, including drive, leadership motivation, honesty and integrity, self-confidence, cognitive ability, confidence, and knowledge. Secondary traits that lack strong empirical support include charisma, creativity or flexibility, decision-making, and problem-solving skills.

Kirkpatrick and Locke (1991) suggested that traits represent only leadership potential. Additional necessary factors for actualizing leadership include vision, skills, and the ability to implement the vision. Critical among these factors is vision. “The core job of a leader is to create a vision, a concept of what the organization should be” (p. 56). Next, the leader must communicate the vision to followers and develop a strategy for achieving the vision.

Kirkpatrick and Locke (1991) concluded by arguing that leaders are different from other people. Suggesting that leadership is in the hands of anyone and everyone does a “disservice to leaders” who must have “stuff [that] is not equally present among all people.” They acknowledge that the situation and the place may be important factors. However, understanding the “stuff” that helps a person influence others to tap opportunity is vital for selecting and training effective leaders (p. 59). Scholars like Daniel Goleman (1998) and Barbara Kellerman offered additional contributions to the reemergence of traits theory.